Ernst Mayr's Japan Prize

September 26, 2016

In August, the Library received as a gift from Ernst Mayr's daughters Susanne Harrison and Christa Menzel, the International Prize for Biology (the Japan Prize) awarded to Dr. Mayr in 1994 by the Emperor of Japan. It consists of the Japan Prize medal, made of copper, silver and gold, with patterns in inlaid gold; a silver urn with a gold chrysanthemum emblem in a custom-made wooden box; a navy blue cloth with white Japanese letters; a white satin chrysanthemum with one white and two red ribbons; two Japanese rice paper envelopes; two scrolls in Japanese; and a photo album picturing the 1994 presentation ceremony with the Emperor and others. Additionally, there is a booklet, The Twenty Years of International Prize for Biology (2004), in English and Japanese.

Other Harvard recipients of the Japan Prize include E.O. Wilson (1993) and Otto Solbrig (1998).